Norse Mythology

Norse mythology is a mythological system coming from the North Germanic Peoples and Old Norse religion. Norse (or Nordic or Scandinavian) mythology contains stories of gods, creatures and humans derived from various sources such as folk tales and the medieval scripts such as the Sagas and Eddas, as well as archaeological evidence such as rune stones. The myths include differing types of gods such as the Aesir and the Vanir, locations such as the Nine Worlds including Asgard and Vanaheim, and various elements to explain creation, the afterlife and the end of times in Ragnarok.

Left: An illustration of Thor fishing with the jotunn Hymir, where Thor catches Jormungandr (From an 18th century Icelandic manuscript / Public Domain). Right: Thor battling the Midgard Serpent, painting by Henry Fuseli, 1788 (Public Domain)

6 September, 2022 - 22:41 Robbie Mitchell

Jörmungandr: The Misunderstood Midgard Serpent of Norse Mythology

Jörmungandr, the world serpent, was an integral part of Norse mythology. Throughout history, he has been portrayed as a key villain in Norse mythology and arch nemesis of Thor, the god of thunder...

The Nordic Helm of Awe is a Viking or Norse magical spell or rune that could be used for good or evil, but it wasn’t an actual battle helmet. Source: Fotokvadrat / Adobe Stock

1 September, 2022 - 22:55 Mark Johnston

What is the Helm of Awe? Runes, Symbols, and Viking Magic!

Every culture contains a plethora of images, animals, foods, etc. that are symbolic of their values. Symbols are an important, meaningful aspect of culture that can teach historians, archaeologists,...

The Valknut symbol has transcended time, remaining popular today. Source: danlersk / Adobe Stock

25 August, 2022 - 14:49 Mark Brophy

The Enigmatic Valknut: Odin’s Symbol Shrouded in Mystery

Norse mythology is a rich and vibrant source of tales, myths and legends. It has provided us with some iconic gods, monsters, and even symbols. One of the most controversial and mysterious of these...

Kvasir and the Mead of Poetry in Norse Mythology

22 August, 2022 - 22:56 Jessica Nadeau

Kvasir and the Mead of Poetry in Norse Mythology

For the ancient Vikings, poetry was a way to tell the stories of their gods, their religion, their heroes and villains. Works that have survived centuries are told with such eloquence; it would only...

Odysseus escaping from the cave of Polyphemus by Flemish Jacob Jordaens (1635) (Public Domain)

12 August, 2022 - 20:52 ashley cowie

Giants Among Men Who Walked The Earth

Today, overachievers are often called “giants in their field" and “giants among men”- terms which define talent, ability and zeal. However, in the ancient world, the word “giant” applied to the...

Baldr’s death by Odin is sitting in the middle of the Æsir by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckerberg. Yggdrasil and the three Norns can be seen in the background. (1817) Charlottenborg Palace (Public Domain)

19 May, 2022 - 16:53 ashley cowie

Seidr Norse Magic And Noaidi Shamans Shaping Destinies

Controlling outcomes, steering destiny and reversing fate in ancient times was all about spells and old-school hands-on magic. Practitioners in ancient Greek and Rome commonly used ‘binding spells’...

Petroglyphs of Scotland, found in Lurgan by George Currie. Source: George Currie

5 September, 2021 - 14:37 Mark A. Carpenter

Comparing the Prehistoric Stone Symbols of Scotland and the Judaculla Rock

Within the rolling green hills of Scotland, slumber thousands of ancient stones bejeweled with mysterious glyphs. Across the proverbial pond, hidden in the great Appalachians of America’s North...

The Norse God Odin: Viking God of War, Father of Thor, But There’s More

15 July, 2021 - 14:29 dhwty

The Norse God Odin: Viking God of War, Father of Thor, But There’s More

Odin is the chief deity of the Norse pantheon. Although Odin was worshipped more generally in Germanic paganism, the information we have today about this god is derived mostly from Norse mythology...

Beowulf & Grendel: Monsters, Mistranslations & A Genetic Interpretation

1 July, 2021 - 19:02 Mark A. Carpenter

Beowulf & Grendel: Monsters, Mistranslations & A Genetic Interpretation

The 6th century epic poem Beowulf echoes as loud today as it did when it was written fifteen hundred years ago. Ink has been spilt, careers made, films produced, and academic wars have been waged in...

Elite Gold Pendants Unearthed in Norway Were ‘Sacrifices’ to the Gods

12 May, 2021 - 21:49 Nathan Falde

Elite Gold Pendants Unearthed in Norway Were ‘Sacrifices’ to the Gods

In separate discoveries that occurred in 2019 and 2020, searchers found seven ancient gold pendants buried in a field near the Norwegian municipality of Råde in Østfold County. The first four gold...

Evidence of Viking rituals and battles against evil have been discovered in Iceland’s Surtshellir lava cave along with a stone boat and unusual artifacts like beads from the Middle East.

27 April, 2021 - 19:03 Sahir

Researchers Find Remains of 'Satanic' Viking Rituals in Icelandic Cave

A group of archaeologists have found a unique Viking age site, 300 meters (984 feet) beyond the entrance of Iceland’s Surtshellir cave, that appears to have been used for Viking rituals. The most...

Long-Lost Runestone From Viking Monument Recovered In Sweden

6 January, 2021 - 22:04 Nathan Falde

Long-Lost Runestone From Viking Monument Recovered In Sweden

Performing excavations in an area where new sewer lines are currently being installed, Swedish archaeologists have announced a remarkable and borderline miraculous find. While digging in half-frozen...

The Wild Hunt of Odin by Peter Nicolai Arbo (1872)(Public Domain)

16 October, 2020 - 23:05 ashley cowie

The God-Gifted Weapons of Norse Mythology

The Vikings were warriors and therefore weaponry was at the forefront of their culture, and this is why the heroes and gods of Norse religion and folklore were armed with a range of awesome weapons...

The site of the newly discovered rare ancient Viking temple found in Norway with an imagined reconstruction of the actual building. Source: University Museum of Bergen

8 October, 2020 - 20:55 Ed Whelan

Viking Temple to Thor and Odin Unearthed In Norway

The Viking Age has fascinated people for generations and now we have a newly discovered ancient Viking temple that has finally shed some new light on Norse religion . Believe it or not, there is a...

Representation of Hel, the Norse goddess of the Underworld

11 September, 2020 - 19:30 valdar

Going to Hel and Back: The Realm of the Norse Goddess of the Underworld

By far, Loki’s most well-known children are the ones he had with the giantess Angurboda. These include the wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent Jormugandr, and the goddess Hel. Legends say that the...

Mimir, the bodiless god of wisdom, plays a fundamental role in the stories of Odin and the Norse gods.

11 August, 2020 - 12:49 Riley Winters

The Bodiless God of Wisdom: Mimir in Norse Mythology

The god who transcends even Odin’s power, Mimir (or sometimes called Mim) is remembered throughout Norse mythology as the oracular head from which the two races of gods, the Aesir and Vanir, seek...

Ragnarok - Apocalypse in Norse myth

25 June, 2020 - 22:56 johnblack

The Story of Ragnarok, The Ancient Norse Apocalypse

In Norse mythology, Ragnarok is a series of apocalyptic events that will define the end of the world, where giants of frost and fire will band together to fight against the gods in a final battle...

Representation of a Valkyrie

17 June, 2020 - 22:49 Veronica Parkes

The Bold and Beautiful Valkyries and Their Mortal Lovers

In Norse mythology, Valkyries were originally sinister spirits that would fly above the battlefield in search of the dead, deciding the fate of the fallen for Odin . The word “Valkyrie” means “...

The Norse God Loki

27 May, 2020 - 21:33 Riley Winters

The Enigmatic Loki, A Trickster Among Gods in Norse Mythology

The trickster god Loki is undoubtedly the most debated figure from Norse mythology to this day. Though he appears to be a scheming, mischievous deity who has no real loyalties, scholars still explore...

Representation of Cnut the Great. Source: Nomad_Soul / Adobe Stock

21 May, 2020 - 19:02 dhwty

Cnut the Great: the Myth, the Man, and the Multi-National Viking Monarch

Cnut Sweynsson, known also as Cnut the Great (sometimes spelled as Canute), was the ruler of England, Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden. His realm is often referred to as the North Sea Empire, or...

Representation of the goddesses that were the wives and daughters of Odin. Source: Jozefklopacka / Adobe Stock.

31 March, 2020 - 14:45 B. B. Wagner

Odin’s Women – Goddesses Ignored, Forgotten and Denied Valhalla

In the Norse myths, the moment Odin sat high on the throne of Asgard, he became all-knowing and ever powerful, as written by Snorri Sturluson in the Prose Edda . He is the Allfather who lives in all...

Fertility goddesses can be found in all cultures and times. Source: zolotareva_elina /Adobe Stock

28 December, 2019 - 13:46 Aleksa Vučković

Praying For Life – Top 10 Ancient Fertility Goddesses

Throughout the ancient history of the world, polytheism - commonly known as paganism or heathenism - was the defining aspect of all societies and civilizations. Our ancestors had complex and...

Representation of Harald Fairhair, the first King of Norway. Source: Fotokvadrat / Adobe Stock.

13 December, 2019 - 22:57 Aleksa Vučković

The Story of Harald Fairhair, First King of Norway

The early history of Norway, and Scandinavia in general, is characterized by powerful seafarers, traders, and warriors and by rich heathen mythologies and ambitious chieftains . The fierce sons of...

An illustration depicting Frigg.

16 July, 2019 - 17:18 dhwty

Frigg: Queen of Asgard, Beloved Norse Goddess, Mother

Frigg or Frigga (which means ‘Beloved’ in Old Norse) is a goddess found in Norse mythology. As the wife of Odin and the mother of Baldur, she is the ‘Queen of the Æsir’. This deity was worshipped as...

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